Late-onset malignant astrocytoma in a case of multiple sclerosis. Clinical, neuropathological, virological, and tissue culture studies.

An unusual case of concurrent MS and anaplastic astrocytoma is presented. MS was diagnosed in a female patient at the age of 22 years. A left side thalamotomy was performed for relief of severe intention tremor at age 28 and at age 32 she received immunosuppressive therapy for 1 year. At the age of 36 after a severe exacerbation of her symptoms a left side fronto-temporal tumor was diagnosed and a subtotal neurosurgical extirpation was performed. Histopathologically, the tumor was an anaplastic astrocytoma, which was further substantiated by electron microscopy and establishment of a permanent cell line in vitro. The cultured tumor cells were negative for measles virus by immunofluorescence. The relationship between the reactive astrocytes in MS plaques and astrocytic neoplasia is discussed.